Very true fitmom! I was slimmer and more compact at 130 (eating protein and lifting) than I was at 122 just cutting calories.

Dorian5--thanks. That's a good idea. I usually keep snacks but they've run dry. All I have left are prunes, which would explain why the tortilla chips didn't have any competition.

Looks like it's time for a Trader Joe's run. Mango slices and cashews, here I come!

Thanks everyone, I was still pretty high on painkillers from having my wisdom teeth out and I was standing reaching for something and fell backwards on to a concrete floor..not fun times!

Ugh..I've been eating too much..I'm hitting like 1600 calories everyday which is maintaining my weight but not dropping. I just cant seem to get down to 1200. Being at home all day writing makes me want to snack!!

I agree with you guys about lifting, I'm was 135 a few years ago but I was eating clean and working out 6 days a week..this time I'm just cutting calories. I was a trim size 4 then and I felt really good..now I don't feel good at this weight at all..too flabby.

Hi all! I clocked in at 122.0lbs this morning. Yay! Still aiming for 120 for Valentine's day, I am still pretty certain that I'm going to slow to half a pound a week like before... but we'll see! If I hit 120 before V-day I'll readjust my goal... and go ahead and buy myself the frilly thing I'm eyeing.

I have a weekend of heavy eating in front of me. Tonight is the date night I've been asking the beau for, we're getting calamari and wine. Tomorrow is tailgating with beer and hot dogs at a hockey game. Sunday is the boba tea I've been wanting. The only plan I have is to watch my portion sizes.

LisaTcan, by lifting weights I can lose even at my size on 1,600 calories, and I only lift three days a week and am nearly 40. Personally, I'd rather exercise and eat more than just cut calories to lose weight. And, as you say, you end up looking better in the end as well.

Petite Powerhouse - what about this whole idea that you can build muscle and lose weight at the same time? Is that true? Because I'd still like to drop 10-15 lbs. Although, maybe I wouldn't mind if I was smaller.

I plan on starting going back to the gym as soon as my broken bones have healed.

I stuck to 1400 the past few days and I'm down a pound, so thats promising.

Dorian - Congrats on being down, have a fun weekend and good luck with those portion sizes

pinkrunner115 & Dianne042425 thanks so much for the welcome!

I have been eating at 1200 cal per day and working out about 4x per week for the past 2 weeks and the scale has not budged. Idk if I am not eating enough or what but I need something to happen bc I am getting so discouraged!

I'm not very knowledgable about weight loss yet, but I do know that you can lift weights and lose inches. You might gain a pound or several as you progress in your weight workouts...because you are building muscle. But you can lose fat. I've read many times that weight training can keep your metabolism burning at a higher rate 24 hours a day, so that would help too.

Only those new to lifting can gain muscle on a calorie deficit. Muscle needs fuel to grow, so the rest of us—those who are not new to lifting and are eating under what we maintain our weight on—just maintain our muscle; we don't build any. But maintenance is critical. If you don't work to maintain your muscle, you lose muscle along with fat when you lose weight. This means you will have a higher body fat percentage when you are done losing weight than you would if you lifted. That's also why you will look larger than you otherwise would. Muscle is denser than fat. If you hold a pound of fat and a pound of muscle in your hands, the muscle will take up less space. That's why you look more compact, leaner and more fit, when you lift while losing weight—because your body actually does take up less space.

You lose inches while lifting weights if you are eating at a calorie deficit. You lose the fat over the muscle and are left with a leaner, smaller body. You aren't replacing fat with muscle. You are maintaining the muscle while losing the fat over the top of it.

Petite what happens if you stop your Calorie deficit before you lost the fat and started eating more to gain muscle? Wouldn't you then get BIGGER in size since you still woul have the fat layer on top while making the muscle bigger? I have always been afraid of this

Sorry for the quick response. Don't havetime to do personals right now. Will later

That makes sense, thanks

Hey guys, how is everyone's weekend? I started out feeling pretty sluggish today but then felt robotic at the gym and ran 12 miles. It was one of those days where I felt like I could run forever.

Food front things are going fairly well. Ate too much yesterday but pretty much other days were okay. I'm waiting until next week to weigh myself, but honestly I'm having one of those weeks where I'm satisfied with how I look and weight loss doesn't seem all that important. I'll probably do a 180 tomorrow and feel otherwise, but days like this are nice.

Hi, all.
I've been away for a while. Life is busy! But when I get stressed, apparently I eat, and I'm back to about 172. Bummer.

The last few weeks I've been eating better, especially this weekend. And I've been maintaining my exercise even with rain and some snow.

Will try to check in regularly.

Hi all! Hope everyone had a nice weekend -- why are they always so short?

I definitely was over my calories on Friday with mussels in wine sauce and fried calamari and LOTS of wine. Saturday I managed to stay around 1200, even though we had hot dogs and beer at the hockey game. Yesterday I decided to make my beau a pot roast with gravy (it was delicious and he had 2 HUGE plates of it, he eats my fish-and-veggie healthy dinners during the week without complaint, so I was happy to make it for him!) -- so I was around maintenance calories yesterday. Not awful, considering it was a weekend.

pinkrunner115- I love days where I'm at peace with my body, too. They are few and far between, but nice when they happen. Nice run, wow!

ann71 - Welcome back!

How was everyone else's weekend?

Hi everyone. I had a nice relaxing weekend, which was so nice. Last night, I had Red Robin take out for dinner...oh well. I got the kiddie burger and threw away about half the fries, but I still ended up eating too much.

But, I'm telling myself that every eating plan has room in it for an occasional big dinner. Back on plan today!